“There were a lot of positives. We’re not going to get carried away, but it was a much better performance.”

Megson praised Palmer’s full league debut: “He’s a young boy with great ability. We’re trying to say to him keep getting on the ball. He was the best player with the ball at his feet on that pitch.

“He can be really pleased with his debut.”

The Owls boss also praised the new-look back four: “You can’t ask for anything more than to go to a side who are second in the table and keep a clean sheet.

“Defenders have been really maligned, including by me, but right the way across the back they did very well. We looked a lot more solid.

“Yes, the penalty was a mistake by Reda Johnson, but he’s been terrific in the last three games.

“Mark Beevers looked like the kind of player I was sending the scouts across from Bolton to watch every week. He’s been looking nothing like that - but this time he looked much more like his old self.

“Tommy Spurr started at left back for the first time in a long time and did well, but can do more. Richard Hinds had not played for a long, long time; I was really pleased with him until he got a bit tired.

“Now we have to make sure that happens all the time, and we take our chances at the other end.”

The Owls go to Carlisle on Saturday and end a run of five consecutive away games, four of them in the League.

Megson added: “We’ve got to go to Carlisle and do the same things that we did at Bournemouth, but this time hopefully take one or two chances.”